Beirut’s brazenly painted birdhouses, hung in the most improbable corners, struck me as otherworldly on a recent trip - oddly incongruous yet designed to delight.

I spotted a score of them strung vertically like a pop art vine against one of the city’s dingier buildings. They seemed as defiant as the Lebanese whom I had come to love: madly cheerful amid cycles of destruction. Who was dotting Beirut with these quaint, pint-size accommodations shaded with black Arabic arches?

My search led me to Danish artist Thomas Dambo who mounted his 110 Birdhouses in Beirut in early 2012, part of the Danish-Arab Urban Arts Festival. Dambo is a ten year veteran of this singular merry street art, having initially mounted 250 birdhouses in his hometown of Denmark.

Birds are the only wild creature living in cities that people have real contact with, and I wanted to make a bit easier for them,” said Dambo, 32, from his home in Copenhagen.“I wanted to draw attention to the disappearing wild nature in our cities.”

Why 110 birdhouses?I fit my designs to available materials,” explained Dambo who has strewn birdhouses throughout seven Danish cities. and is now eyeing Sweden.“It depends on how many cut lengths and patterns I can get out of the available wood with the least amount of trash. For this project – it was exactly 110.”

Dambo creates all of his projects from leftover materials, imitating birds, he said, who are “great at recycling.”Dambo’s core conviction: “You can always make stuff last longer.”

Most of Dambo’s birdhouses were placed in Beirut’s popular Hamra neighborhood among buildings, and against trees and utility poles. He likes to amass many houses in one area, and scatter smaller groups elsewhere.

I built these after classic Lebanese houses,” said Dambo, who attends Kolding School of Design. “They have Arabic style arches, and on the top, a design of two birds joining together, which symbolize two cultures – Danish and Lebanese – coming together. And with a birdhouse, it’s two birds coming together and having kids. So it’s basically a love story.”

Dambo’s genius: creating public art that appeals to the masses - Some birds have taken up residence in the houses - at least those that have remained in place. “Some people take them down, take them home,” said Dambo. “That’s actually a good thing,” since birds might take up residence more readily in backyards, than on busy streets.

Some policemen in Beirut helped Dambo hang his creations. “If I put up a poster with a big skull on it, police will arrest me and give me a fine,” he said.“If you create public art in a way that appeals to people in a positive way, they won’t perceive it as an illegal act.”

Some residents required certain colors to match their political associations explained Dambo: “Someone would say, ‘Oh, can I have the yellow one instead’ because it went with their political party. It was intense. They’d tell me which colors were okay to put next to each other.”

Dambo concluded that his project has wider ramifications about “living together,” whether that phrase entails birds and humans or humans and humans - no matter their color or color preference.

After a few days navigating Beirut’s crazed traffic, the idea of a yacht and open coastline is incredibly alluring. Fortunately my hotel, Mövenpick , has both the yacht and the coastline.

Beirut’s coastline looms long and large from the 40-foot Italian Cranchi yacht. Maybe it’s the champagne, but the city seems to stretch forever as we speed past the lighthouse to the furthest reaches. Rising from the coastline is the Four Seasons newest skyscraper.

I spot the infamous Holiday Inn, yet standing beside that grand old lady, the Phoenicia, built in 1961 and now restored far beyond its original glory. The buildings were at the center of the Battle of the Hotels when factions used the properties as hide-outs, launching artillery fire during the civil war in the mid 1970s.

“Are they ever going to tear that thing down?” asks a companion about the Holiday Inn which was heavily damaged.Actually, I hope they don’t. The hulking tower, torn with gaping holes, seems to stand as the common man’s war memorial now. It was blasted by mortar shells within four days after its opening.

The five star Mövenpick has fared much better. Spread with 90,000 square meters of landscaping, the resort harbors three outdoor pools, a private beach and marina, along with tennis and squash courts. The property has 292 newly renovated guestrooms and suites, including two dedicated club floors.

The hotel pairs nicely with the Beirut that’s largely been reborn - driven by the Solidere development company, founded by former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafic Hariri. In short, Beirut is downright beautiful.

Pigeons' Rock

The yacht takes us in and around Pigeons’ Rock, found on Beirut’s western-most tip. The two rock formations tower above us like looming, striated sentinels. The eye level view is fantastic.Far above us on the corniche (Beirut’s popular seaside promenade) locals snap our photo. We wave like movie stars.

After the cruise, Mövenpick ’s Square Lounge on the hotel’s rooftop is an optimal pre-evening starter. Fresh from the cruise and plied with a drink, I’m ready to hit the Hamra again.

famtripper fun fact

Rodin MuseumDid you know the Rodin Museum in Paris was originally the Hotel Biron where Rodin once lived? Rodin donated his entire collection of sculptures, and paintings by Van Gogh and Renoir to the French State. The government turned the entire building into a stunning museum that is a marvel and a must to see.